23 February 2009

I recently had a craving for something chewy and chocolaty so what better way to thwart off any hunger pains than with a chocolaty treat. It also gave me the excuse to join in on the fun with Marc from No Recipes and Susan of Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy for their Dinner & a Movie Event. Each month they will take us on a delicious journey though some of the most gastronomically inspirational films. Each month there will be a new movie to watch which will hopefully inspire you to cook something amazing.

To revel in February, the month of hearts and chocolate, they are watching "Chocolat."

The movie follows a single mother and her six-year-old daughter when they move to rural France and open a chocolate shop, during Lent, across the street from the local church. They are met with some skepticism. They coax the townspeople into enjoying their delicious products,aqnd win them over. Who wouldn't be won over by a movie starring Johnny Depp!!!!

What fits the bill better than the BEST brownies I have EVER come across in all my years of baking!!!!!!!!BROWNIES!!!!!

Brownies come in all guises, shapes and sizes...with nuts, without nuts, swirled with cream cheese, sprinkled with chips, spiked with espresso or even better booze, or just plain chocolate in a million variations. And if this doesn't cure your addiction how's about topped with ice cream and a chocolate sauce!!!

But the most important aspect of a brownie, for anyone who loves brownies, is texture. There are three camps: cakey, fudgy and chewy. I thought my feet were firmly planted in the chewy category but I can be easily swayed by a little chocolate. Just don't overcook them and remember to share. Email me for my address...wink...wink...

Which camp do you fall into? Or do you swing?

1) FUDGY- dense, with a moist, intensely chocolaty interior. I think of it as somewhere between a rich truffle torte and a piece of fudge.

2) CHEWY:moist, but not quite as gooey as a fudgy one. The chewiness seems to come from a couple of different factors: more all-purpose flour, and whole eggs.

3) CAKEY: a moist crumb and a slightly fluffy interior. When I mix cakey brownies, I use a bit of cake-baking technique by creaming the butter and sugar first and then whisking the batter to aerate the mixture and get a light crumb like my Mascarpone Brownies.

After testing, tasting, and canvassing friends and colleagues I have officially, and maybe not temporarily, swung over to fudgy camp for these "caramely, salty, chocolaty" treats... Mari Tuttle's Caramel Sea Salt Brownies. I have been happily converted!!!

I'll say right off the bat that I could never claim to be an expert on brownies—there are so many recipes, and everyone has a favorite. But there are definitely guidelines to follow so that you can make the style of brownie that suits your taste, whether it's cakey, fudgy, or chewy.

a) Start your brownies with melted chocolate. Whether you melt it with butter or not, use the gentle heat of a double boiler—there's no remedy for scorched chocolate.

b) All brownie recipes have enough chocolate flavor to satisfy a chocolate yearning, and they all have similar ingredients. Killer brownies don't need expensive chocolate!!! But because of the different proportions of these ingredients and varying amounts of chocolate, butter, sugar, and flour, the texture of each brownie is quite different.

c) In addition to ingredient proportions, baking time greatly affects the consistency of a brownie, so it's important to be attentive. Fudgy brownies baked three minutes too short can be unpleasantly gooey; chewy brownies baked three minutes too long become tough and dry.

d) Brownies will cook more quickly in metal pans than in glass, which is what accounts for the wide time windows in the recipes. If you're using metal, cooking times will be on the short side; with Pyrex, they'll be longer.

e) For all your brownie recipes, and regardless of the pan you're using, start testing for doneness after 20 minutes of baking. First, press your fingers gently into the center of the pan. If the brownie feels like it's just setting, insert a toothpick near the center.

-Brownies are underdone when smudges of wet batter cling to the toothpick.
-Brownies are just right when traces of moistness and fudgy crumbs cling to the toothpick.
-Brownies are overdone when the toothpick comes out perfectly clean.

f) For uniform squares, flip the cooled, whole brownie out of the pan. You'll have a much easier time cutting neat squares, with the option of cutting off the edges if you want to. Lining the pan bottoms with parchment makes it much easier to get the brownie out of the pan. If you don't have any on hand, waxed paper works, too.

g) Although it's awfully tempting to cut into a pan of just-baked brownies be patient. The flavor and texture of each type of brownie will be at their best when completely cool. Well worth waiting for!!!

Mari Tuttle is owner of Mari's New York, a New York based company that specializes in gourmet artisanal brownies. For more information about her company, please visit her site here .

Pour sugar into heavy skillet and caramelize over low heat; constantly stirring until it has completely melted and is light brown in color. Remove from heat and very slowly stir in hot water. Don't worry if sugar clumps, it will melt again when you reheat the mixture.Return the pan to medium heat; stirring to melt sugar clumps. Mixture will begin to boil. Continue boiling until mixture thickens and the boil isn't as rapid. Remove from heat; add butter, salt and vanilla. Strain if there are remaining sugar clumps.

Oh, yummy, Valli! Brownies are one of my absolute favorite desserts, and I'm in the cakey group! With ice cream, and yep, definitely a generous drizzle of chocolate syrup! lol But I think I could be lured over to the caramely group with a platter of these to tempt me! They look wonderful. :-)

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My blog More Than Burnt Toast has been my passion for almost 9 years and has evolved with me over time as I have gained confidence in the kitchen. Follow my travels through Italy and Greece one recipe at a time, upcoming cooking classes at local Okanagan wineries and restaurants, as well as daily experimentation in my own kitchen. Every day we should be excited about what we are eating even if it just means making use of a wonderful find at our local farmers market. I look forward to getting to know you.